Michael Jerome had been drumming in a post-industrial metal band when he auditioned for Richard Thompson in 1999, little knowing he would be this brilliant guitarist's percussive foil for the next 25 years and counting. Jerome also has played with Charlie Musselwhite, the Blind Boys of Alabama and, for several years, John Cale. He’s been Better Than Ezra’s drummer since 2009 and played and toured with Slash for his latest album—and what started as an experimental side project is now moving center stage: The Third Mind, the improvisatory psychedelic band assembled by Dave Alvin and Victor Krummenacher. As thoughtful in conversation as he is dazzling behind his kit, Jerome tells how he developed his unique style and adapts it for each project—and he relates what it’s like to be in Los Angeles now as he tries to help friends and others who have lost almost everything in the catastrophic wildfires. (Photo by Robby Klein.)